Tactical Exoframe Nexus-linked Ground Unit
The Tactical Exoframe Nexus-linked Ground Unit (T.E.N.G.U for short), also known as second-generation Marauders, are a type of bipedal legged combat vehicles used by modern Federation military for infantry support role in ground combat and acted as armored fighting vehicles in lieu of tanks and IFVs. History As the Federation Department of Defense eventually came to a conclusion that most of their current weapons are inadequate at containing with the ever growing Arachnid threats in the aftermath of the Third Bugs War, after a long analysis over Federation capability of an interstellar conflict with an extra-terrestrial threat, the DoD brass finally approved for additional fundings and strong advocations in new weapon developments. Among them is the significant change to the common Marauder's doctrine which initially envisioned as bipedal walking tanks into full mechanical infantry unit capable of a high degree of combat versatility. The combat experiences used in the early Marauder models in the war eventually changed the Marauder doctrines gradually and have a significant impacts in shaping developments of the TENGU program. Initially designed simply as bipedal walking tanks similar to the last Marauder's model Babar, the project was postponed several times as the Federation concentrated its resources on the war efforts, by the time of the end of the Third Bugs War, TENGU design philosophy had been shifted towards more humanoid shapes, with the first Tengu model M13 Swift combined the combat flexibility and agility in mind to circumvent the disadvantages of conventional AFVs. These new models are also equipped with handheld Marauder's grade melee weapons, which gave them more advantages in close quarter combat where conventional firearms cannot be used. Despite the revolutionary concept of “Mechanical Infantry” being highly advocated by many high-ranking Federation officers. Many still oppose to the new concept, as the results, the Federation Marauder developments divided into the two category of “Walking tank” Marauders and “Mechanical Infantry”. The “walking tank” type Marauders, also known as Panzer Marauders are essentially Tengu designs that continued the old philosophy for infantry support with good armor protection as well as powerful armaments to suppress enemy defenses while also incorporates new technologies into them. The “Mechanical infantry” type Marauders are mainly used for special operations behind enemy lines, operating independently from normal infantry units, which lead to their designs being more lightly armored with more focus on mobility and dexterity. Although the 2nd Generation Marauders are more versatile and better protected than their Bugs War era counterparts, they are still not superweapons, as such, conventional artillery is still capable to take them down, and portable infantry AT weapons still posed a serious threat to these machines. As such, these Marauders rarely operate alone, often operated in group to maximize their combat versality as well as deployed in tandem with other weapon platforms (eg. tanks, APCs) to maximize their tactical coordination in combat against enemy ground units. Due to a shift to 3-dimensional combat capabilities in both urban areas and rough terrains. The TENGU Marauders have become a versatile and essential component within the Federation Army, typically deployed as general-purpose assault vehicles in most desperate hours on the battlefield. Even more so than the previous designs, the Marauders training programs also included anti-Marauder tactics alongside the previous anti Bugs tactics as part of their course to ensure the new pilots of the TENGUs are the cream of the crops with adaptability to unconventional tactics in battles. Category:Terran Federation:Contact Category:Background Category:Military